


Where To Start

by LaLainaJ



Series: Make Some Noise [88]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Book/Movie Fusion, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Flirting, Neighbors, What's Your Number Based, klarolineauweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-24 05:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8359891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaLainaJ/pseuds/LaLainaJ
Summary: Caroline likes her neighbour Klaus well enough (and *maybe* privately thinks he's super hot) but she's really not happy that he's pounding on her door early in the morning asking for a favor.





	

**Where To Start**

**(Prompt: klaroline meets the movie 'what's your number?' Title from "Wake Me Up" by Avicii. Rated T.)**

There's someone pounding on her door. The noise had woken Caroline from an _excellent_ dream and it's really, really pissing her off.

In Caroline's opinion the very best part about being self-employed was the ability to set her own hours. These days she rarely had to get up before 10 AM. She no longer had to struggle against her lifelong hatred of early mornings. A perk that totally made the ridiculous amount of money she had to pay for health insurance worth it. Getting through high school, college, _and_ those first two years of admin hell where blaring alarms had been a necessity had been a struggle she'd only survived by downing copious amounts of coffee and indulging in the occasional dessert for breakfast.

Ice cream was filled with calcium, right? It wasn't _that_ unhealthy.

Caroline gropes for a pillow, burrows further into her nice warm comforter, and resolves to ignore whatever inconsiderate moron is attempting to disturb her. She's not expecting anyone, hasn't indulged herself in any online shopping recently, and her fire alarm and carbon monoxide detector are in perfect working order so she's not in any danger. Caroline's tired, and hung over, and she feels like she deserves to go back to sleep.

Last night's bachelorette party had turned into a nightmare. She hadn't even _wanted_ to go in the first place. Elena might have been Caroline's best friend in high school but they'd drifted pretty far apart in the years since. She'd gotten the full court press from Elena, Bonnie and Elena's mom over Christmas though. Cornered, she'd had no choice but to promise to show up.

The evening had started out well enough, the food at the restaurant had been amazing and Caroline found Elena's cousin Katherine far less scary and more amusing as an adult. They'd been the only singles at the table. Katherine had dealt with the cloying pity in her own way – a Cheshire cat smile and a suggestive remark about just how much _fun_ she had being unattached (with a lawyer from London and a sommelier from Argentina. Possibly at the same time. Caroline was fuzzy on the specifics and was going to press for details when she met up with Kat for drinks next week). Caroline had been tempted to make up a similar tale (and had lamented the fact that she would be reduced to _lying_ but she'd been busy lately!). In the end she had refrained on the off chance that it would get back to her own mother. Elena was a gossip, always had been.

 _That_ was not a mother daughter conversation Caroline wanted to have. Instead she'd smiled, made her very best self-deprecating jokes. Drank _heavily_. Had planned to treat herself to a manicure and some Chinese food after a good long sleep in.

Unfortunately, the universe seemed to think her plans were unsatisfactory. The knocking _would not_ stop. If anything it had gotten louder and more insistent. Could people not take a _hint_? Caroline lets out groan and heaves herself out of bed. Letting out a curse (being vertical sucked at the moment) she squints around her room looking for her robe. As far as she recalls she'd stripped as soon as she walked through her door last night (and Caroline cringes a bit when she remembers she'd left her very flattering little black dress crumpled in the middle of her living room). She vaguely recalls guzzling a glass of water and brushing her teeth before collapsing into bed without bothering to put on pajamas.

Spotting the robe hanging off her closet door Caroline hurriedly throws it on. She runs her hands through her hair, dislodging the few pins that had held on through the night, as she makes her way to the door. She makes no effort to hide her hostility barking out, "What?" as she throws it open.

She falters for a moment at seeing her neighbor on the other side. Klaus lives across the hall. He'd moved in about four months ago and while she'd flirted a time or two in front of the mailboxes or when they shared the elevator she'd never thought about taking it any further. Klaus had seemed disappointed every time she'd steered a conversation in a more neutral direction but had never pressed the issue. He always seemed content to banter with her about just about everything from the best pizza places in the neighborhood to their wild theories about how some of their more eccentric neighbors made their livings. (The skinny nerd in 2C? Totally a contract killer). Sometimes she debated asking him out, trying for something _real_ , but always held back.

Klaus had a pretty steady stream of women flowing in and out of his apartment. Blondes, brunettes, redheads. All very beautiful, but there was never one who showed up a second time. Caroline didn't judge, had no qualms with casual between consenting adults who took precautions. She might have considered a night with him – Klaus was attractive, accented, quick witted with the kind of easy confidence that made Caroline suspect he'd be _good_ – if not for their proximity. The idea of running into him all the time afterwards, the potential awkwardness of making small talk and trying not to think about the (hopefully many) orgasms she'd had in his company, made the prospect lose its appeal.

Still, she likes to mull over the possibilities from time to time. Sexual fantasies were normal and perfectly healthy, right?

Caroline kind of wishes she'd taken a second to deal with the makeup that's probably smeared all over her face. Although Klaus seems too busy eyeing the length of her legs the short hemline of her robe leaves bare to care about her face. "Can I help you?" she clips out, crossing her arms.

Klaus straightens, and a brief flash of embarrassment at being caught ogling is evident before he smiles. It's familiar, the charming one that she'd seen him deploy on Mrs. Kowalski when the elderly woman complained about how loud his guitar was. Clearly Klaus wanted something.

Sure enough his tone is coaxing, "Good morning, Caroline. Sorry to have awakened you."

Caroline lets her brows creep up, waves for him to continue. "Just state your business." She's mildly curious but mostly dying for a cup of coffee.

"I was wondering if you might do me a small favor."

Well, at least he'd gotten right to the point. "You need a favor right _now_? And not at the more reasonable hour of say, noon?"

Klaus hesitates, "I had a… guest last night. She seems to be quite reluctant to leave. Despite the fact that I'd thought I'd made my intentions clear last night. And all hints I've made this morning. And there have been _many_ hints."

Caroline grins, swallowing down the laugh that wants to burst out. Klaus is shifting awkwardly, his hands clasped behind his back and from the halting way the words come it's obvious he hates that he's had to resort to asking for help. Clearly she needs to milk this. "So you want me to what? Play the crazy possessive girlfriend and chase the clinger away?"

Klaus' sigh is long suffering, "If you wouldn't mind?"

"What's in it for me?" Caroline asks.

His head tips to the side, eyes narrowing with something like suspicion. Smart guy. "What would you like?"

Caroline shrugs and if her robe slips off her shoulder, drawing Klaus' eyes, she's not mad about it. One had to take every advantage available in a negotiation. "Hmm, I really couldn't say right now. It's very early, you know. My brain needs a caffeine injection to _really_ be firing on all cylinders."

"I'll owe you one," Klaus offers. "Anything you want."

Caroline snorts. Did he think she was an amateur? "You'll owe me _three_ ," she corrects, smiling sweetly. " _Anything_ I want."

His mouth opens and she'd bet good money that he'd been about to argue but a woman's voice calls his name from the open door of his apartment. Klaus' teeth clench together and he nods, quick and jerky. Caroline claps her hands together and bounces on her toes, pleased to have won. "Lovely doing business with you, Klaus." She steps passed him, nudging him lightly into her apartment. "Now, I'll do my part, you make me some coffee. And no, that doesn't count as one of your favors."

She can hear him grumbling in annoyance but his footsteps head towards her kitchen. Caroline squares her shoulders and tries to think like an outraged girlfriend. The dramatics aren't going to help her headache but a girl could always use some favors in the bank.

* * *

"Mission accomplished," she announces when she re-enters her apartment. "Apparently you have commitment issues that stem from your childhood. Pro tip: maybe keep the conversations a little less heavy if you're trying to keep things casual."

Klaus had settled on her couch having helped himself to some coffee. Caroline knocks his feet off her coffee table when she passes him. "All I told her was that my family moved here when I was 11. Hardly a recitation of a trauma."

"Huh, that _is_ reaching," Caroline concedes. She ducks into her bedroom, planning on brushing her teeth and putting on some actual clothes. Half expecting Klaus to have skedaddled while she was changing she finds she's not actually upset that he's still parked in her living room. She feels slightly more human having washed her face and has popped a couple painkillers so she charitably decides to be generous and not ream him out for waking her up. Caroline pours herself a bowl of cereal and some coffee, hands Klaus the cup while she sits down next to him. He passes it back absently once she's situated, his eyes fixed on a notepad she recognizes as hers. Which is… strange. "Are my ideas for my next article really all that fascinating?"

Klaus glances up, his smirk taunting, "I read your blog but I had no idea the content could get this risqué."

Caroline's momentarily confused. "There's really nothing _risqué_ about DIY storage solutions," she tells him slowly. That had been the last thing she'd been working on.

He laughs, "I agree. But that's not what I'm reading." Klaus holds up the paper so she can see. The writing is messy, goes in all sorts of directions and she has a bad feeling because it's not at all how she usually operated when planning,

Caroline leans forward, taking in the list of _very familiar_ names she'd scribbled. It takes a moment for the commentary she'd written beside them to sink in. She feels her face heat. Did Klaus really need to know that 'Stefan Salvatore had a serious case of slug tongue and minimal hand eye coordination'?" She gets a flash of a memory, of herself furiously scribbling away last night, Elena's words about that _stupid_ article circling through her head.

She can't believe she'd forgotten about the _list_.

Caroline had never really but much stock in numbers when it came to sex. Seriously, penetration was not the be all and end all of sexual acts despite what most men seemed to think. She'd had a better time fooling around under the clothes with her Chem lab partner in the library in high school than she'd had with some of the men she'd gone further with later on. Shouldn't _that_ count more than the orgasms she'd faked so a douchey banker would hurry up and finish up his stuttering thrusts?

Sober Caroline thought so. Drunk Caroline had clearly been paranoid that having more than 19 names on her list meant she was destined to die alone.

The list Klaus was now perusing.

God, that was mortifying.

She can't snatch it away without upsetting her breakfast so she glowers at him hoping he'd take the hint and _stop_ reading all about her sexual conquests.

He does not.

"Do you mind?" Caroline manages after a moment. "Hello, boundaries? I'm tacking on a fourth favor for your startling lack of them."

Klaus appears unperturbed. "Worth it. It's a very entertaining read, love. Even drunk as you must have been. That's impressive. May I ask what brought this trip down memory lane on?"

Caroline debates telling him to shove it but he seems genuinely curious and she detects not a hint of scorn. Maybe commiserating with someone else who was happy in their single life would be helpful? It's not like she can make him unread the list. She makes an aggravated noise but relents, "Just a terrible bachelorette party last night. I had the luck of being the designated spinster. You know how some people, when they've been with someone forever, they get that weird condescending, 'However do you even survive the horrible wasteland of singledom?!' attitude going?"

His face twists in sympathy and mild distaste, "My eldest brother Finn is quite the expert."

"I was surrounded by it last night. I guess they just got in my head."

"What's with the numbers?" Klaus runs his fingers down the side, where Caroline had jotted down various fractions next to each name.

"There's a key," she tells him. Her embarrassment has abated and she's weirdly surprised by how comfortable she is talking to Klaus. His complete nonchalance about the topic is enjoyable after last night's festival of judgement.

He flips a few pages and Caroline eats her cereal. "You spelled cunnilingus wrong," he informs her.

Was he _actually_ nitpicking? Rude. "I was drunk! And no one actually calls it that," she defends herself.

"It's very… precise."

"That's how I roll," Caroline jokes and Klaus smiles. "Anyway, I'm over it now. So some stupid women's magazine article says that I have to marry one of the first nineteen guys I had sex with or else I'm doomed to never be happily married. How accurate can that really be? People always lie on sex surveys."

Klaus nods in agreement, "I'd wager that's true. Besides, very few of the first nineteen scored all that highly from what I recall. You can do far better."

Ugh, her late teens and early twenties had been dark times, at least in regards to reciprocal orgasms. It was probably a good thing she'd been drunk while making that list. Without a little booze to numb the memories it would have been far more depressing.

"I have done better," Caroline points out. It comes out ever so slightly flirty and she stretches her legs out a bit, tucking her feet under his thigh. Klaus doesn't shy away from the familiar gesture, and isn't that interesting? Maybe she should rethink her reasons for deflecting Klaus' obvious interest. She wiggles her toes, pointing to the list, "As I'm sure you read."

Klaus leans back, and his eyes linger on her in a way that's distinctly appreciative. Caroline feels a little warmer than she had previously, her skin prickling with awareness of how _close_ they are. "It was, as I've said, fascinating." He pauses for a moment, meets her eyes. "Do you have any plans this evening, Caroline?"

This morning was definitely looking up.

"I do not," she says. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm playing a show tonight. I thought you might like to come."

"So I can scare off any groupies who might have designs on inspiring your next song?" Caroline wonders. It's not exactly subtle but she wants them to be on the same page.

Klaus shakes his head, a small smile pulling on his lips. "If you'd like to you're welcome to. I thought we'd have dinner afterwards. No groupies necessary."

"Like a date?"

"Yes," he confirms simply, "exactly like that."

"I was under the impression that you didn't do much dating."

Klaus shrugs, "You haven't known me all that long, have you?"

A fair point. Four months, a few short conversations a week, wasn't all that much. They'd really only scratched the surface. What she did know of Klaus she liked well enough and as weird as this morning has been Caroline honestly hasn't hated any part of it. What's the worst that could happen if she made some effort to _get_ to know him? She _did_ need a date to Elena's wedding next month. She could always call in one of her favors but if things went well she might not have to.

"Dinner sounds good," Caroline tells him and Klaus looks pleased. "And at the risk of inflating your ego I _might_ have google stalked you and listened to the things you have posted on YouTube."

His expression turns slightly smug, "Only fair since I do believe I admitted to doing much the same."

He had, hadn't he? Caroline thought that was a good thing. A sign that the leap she was taking wasn't going to end in disaster. Having a guy feign interest in what you did to get into your pants always ended badly. That Klaus had taken it upon himself to read her work when she'd been firmly shutting him down was… nice. She decides another small confession couldn't hurt, "I've totally debated showing up to see you play but didn't want to seem like a creep."

"I would not have minded." Klaus assures her immediately. "Do you have any favorites?" he asks, making no effort to hide his curiosity.

Caroline thinks it over, mentally debating whether to tell him her actual favorites (the ones that will make it hard for her to resist ripping his clothes off post show but pre dinner…) or going with something that she _liked_ but hadn't inspired dirty thoughts. A tough decision. "Can I let you know?" she asks.

Klaus responds in the affirmative, though he looks mildly perplexed. He asks her about other music she likes, showing no intention of leaving.

Which was fine with Caroline. It'll give her more time to decide on an answer _and_ on exactly how she wanted her date with Klaus to end.

She's going to wear good underwear though. Just in case.


End file.
